It Takes Two
by MrsCullen14
Summary: Bella's overactive imagination goes into overdrive when she begrudginly moves back to Forks. Edward Cullen isn't helping matters, with his hot and cold attitude and bizarre appearance her theories run amok!
1. Chapter 1: Nervous

**A/N: So yeah..Sorry for replacing the chapter again (I will be replacing the others too) but I had a little help with grammar/words from another GREAT person. So I still have to give my credit to Kinolaughs, but also to twilight-is-lovee. Now get a readin' and reviewin'!**

**CHAPTER 1: NERVOUS**

Forks: Overcast grey skies in every direction, and not a bit of blue in sight. It was so different from my former home in Phoenix—the ride to Charlie's house—and now my house reflected the difference as well. Where my mother lived was sunny, bubbly, and vivacious. Charlie, my dad, was almost completely silent and barely glanced in my direction the whole drive.

"I enrolled you in Forks High school; your first day is tomorrow," was the only comment he made during the hour-long drive from Port Angeles. I replied with a silent nod.

To tell the truth, I wasn't looking forward to starting a new high school, especially since I was in the middle of my junior year. I had to try very hard not to question why I moved to Forks; I've always hated it. But then, I guess I did need a break from the life in Phoenix. That's what I would tell myself anyway. This would be a big change, especially the lack of sunshine and the dreariness. Yay, gloom!

We pulled up in Charlie's driveway. The house was exactly how I remembered it; a whitewashed, medium-sized home with bushes and trees planted in the front yard. All that was missing was the picket fence and housewife in an apron. **(PICTURE ON PROFILE.) **

I slowly trudged up to the door, waiting for Charlie to unlock it. As I walked in the house, I noticed everything was still in the same order as the last time I came here—five years ago. Not one single thing was moved, although I did notice the usual mess Charlie had. It was obvious that he still wasn't trying. There were papers all over the kitchen table and many dishes that needed to be done.

_Great, I guess it's now my job to clean this place up,_ I thought to myself.

"I'm sure you remember where you room is. If not, then just let me know," Charlie said in a small voice. "You should go get settled in."

"Yeah Ch-dad… I'll be down here to make you dinner at 6:00," I replied, trying unsuccessfully to infuse my voice with some enthusiasm.

As long as I can remember, Charlie hasn't been able to cook for himself. When I was younger, my summertime diet during my visits was comprised of Happy Meals and Pop Tarts. Hardly the pinnacle of good nutrition.

Once I was old enough to use the stove without burning down the house, that changed. Since then, whenever I stayed with him, I always made him his dinner. The one thing I always questioned was how he survived all those months that I was gone. A quick check of the freezer would undoubtedly turn up the usual frostbitten fish and assortment of Hungry Man microwavable meals. I guess it's a good thing I'm here, then…

Male depression was a bitch.

I walked up to my room, anticipating that it might still contain my old iron toddler bed and faded Hello Kitty bedspread. However, unlike the rest of the house, things were changed. My walls were still the same shade of light pink that I had chosen when I was 5, but the furniture was drastically different.

A full sized bed with a black frame had replaced my rusty old bed frame; the duvet was a baby pink with a few black polka dots on it. There were several decorative pillows: some checkered black and white and a few pink ones with shoes on them. A white vanity mirror was placed next to the bed and several frames hung around my room with fashion-oriented themes.

Even more shocking was the pink armoire in the corner next to a small cheetah printed sofa and pink table.

What the heck?

There was no way Charlie had done this. For one thing, he never had a lot of money, On top of that it was _changed_. Charlie lived in the past, he didn't do change.

I took a minute to absorb my new environment. It was really girly, but somehow, I loved it.

**(PICTURE OF BELLA'S ROOM ON MY PROFILE.)**

I quickly unpacked, enjoying myself a little as I placed my carefully folded clothes into the rose scented drawers that were…lined with floral print paper? Definitely not Charlie. Once my overly loved books were placed on the shelves and my suitcase was stowed under the bed, I went downstairs to make Charlie dinner.

He was in the living room, watching football on the brand new flat screen television. That was a step up from the rabbit earned monstrosity that was here the last time I came. Hmm…another change.

As I was cooking the meat for tacos, I contemplated whether I'd entered some alternate reality, like in a bad Twilight Zone episode. I briefly wondered if Charlie would tell me he was one of the pod people. On cue, I heard him call to me…uh oh…pod people confession, here we come.

"Bells! Is dinner ready?"

Ah. Some things never change after all. I would have to shelf my pod people theory for now.

"No, it will be in a few, though. I'll let you know as soon as I'm done," I yelled from the kitchen.

"Thanks!"

Dinner passed quickly. Charlie asked me how my mom and Phil were doing (uncomfortable conversation topic, much?), and then he moved on to ask me how I was.

My answers were all very short and boring. Like he really wanted to hear about the woman who had caused his downward spiral into the pits of despair and her new boy toy wonder husband.

Changing to a happier topic, I asked him about my room and how he came across the money for the Trading Spaces miracle I'd moved into. Charlie laughed and said that he had been saving up. He _laughed_.

I checked for evidence of alien possession in his eyes as he told me that he'd known my room would need some re-decorating and that he had a friend of his help him out when he heard I was coming. As soon as he had finished eating, he went back to his TV to watch more football. Well, at least that was still the same.

"I think I'm going to go upstairs and go to sleep. I want to be well rested for school tomorrow," I told Charlie letting out a big yawn. I overdid it a little, but I really was tired. It was probably due to being jet-lagged, or the new Forks aliens sucking my life force out.

"Ok, honey. Sleep well, and I hope you have a good day at school tomorrow," he responded. "I most likely won't be awake when you get up, have to be down at the station by 5:00," Charlie deadpanned from the couch. _Honey_? I was going to have to keep an eye out for antenna sprouting from his head.

"Good night, Dad." I smiled at him, and then walked up the stairs to my room. I looked through my drawers and took out brand new pajama shorts I had gotten from American Eagle and a tank top, taking them with me to the bathroom. I wasn't going to be caught in a towel if I had to run away from the alien invasion after my shower. As soon as I dried off and got changed, I walked to my room, picked out clothes for tomorrow, and climbed into my new comfy bed. I lay down and began to think about my first day at a new school. Several thoughts crossed my mind: _Would I be liked? Hated? Would I have any friends? Nahhh, I doubt I will. I barely fit in anywhere._

Ok, so I needed to stop thinking about this; after all, I might be surprised. Yeah, right! All I could do was wait for tomorrow, when my questions would finally be answered. I started mentally singing the Beatles's 'Let it Be' as I closed my eyes. This was the last thing I remembered before drifting off into a deep sleep.

* * * * * *

My alarm rang. Stupid annoying alarm. Stupid annoying Phil thinking a singing chicken alarm clock was a good Christmas present.

It was 7:00 in the stinking morning, and I needed to get up._ Damn it! Just let me sleep a little more!_ I hit the snooze button on the ridiculous chicken's beak. Bella Swan is NOT a morning person. Sadly, I was still lying down on the bed, unable to go back to sleep, when the alarm rang about 5 minutes later.

Grumbling, I rolled out of bed and peeked out the window before grabbing the clothes I had picked out the night before. Overcast in Forks…shocking! Charlie wasn't there, just as he had said the night before. His cruiser was missing from the driveway. I ran to the bathroom and brushed my teeth quickly before running a brush through my tangled hair. Maybe I should stop sleeping on it when it was wet, it had dried into an impossible tangle and stood out at weird angles.

_So much for a good first impression,_ I thought as I twisted it into a messy bun and threw on my clothes. I tumbled down the stairs, practically falling on the last one, and went to the kitchen… Mmmm… Lucky Charms! I scarfed down my food, noticing that I needed to hurry up or I'd be late.

Fortunately, Charlie had told me that he'd acquired a truck that I could use for school so I wouldn't have to pretend I was training for a marathon to get there. I walked outside to meet my fabulous new ride.

The truck was old and red, probably from the 50s or something like that. **(PICTURE ON PROFILE.) **It was crappy, but I _loved_ it. I unlocked the door and sat down, getting ready to drive off to the school. Ugh… new school. I felt so nervous I could have puked.

_Just have to wait and see,_ I reminded myself as I drove off to meet my scholastic fate.

**Revies? Requests?**


	2. Chapter 2: Enchanting

**A/N: So here's Chapter 2 as I promised! Again, thanks to my wonderful Beta, kinolaughs, for check this out! I hope you all enjoy it and REVIEW!**

**Chapter 2: Enchanting**

Forks High School was tiny. Only a population of about 300 students; I wasn't used to smalls schools at all. My former high school in Phoenix was the size of a small college campus; it was easy to disappear among the masses. Well easy for me anyway. No one paid attention to a pale, short brunette among the sea of beamer driving Barbies.

The minute I stepped out of my tank…er truck I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore. No, I wasn't suddenly surrounded by munchkins….it was worse. WAY worse. The thirty or so students milling around the entrance of the school turned around and stared at me. All of them. Uncomfortable!

Fighting the urge to jump back in my behemoth and get the heck out of Dodge, I forced myself to shuffle forward towards the front of the school. That's when I noticed a group of students not too far away. Good grief what was in the water here? They were all gorgeous. One of the girls was blonde, tall,extremely pale and with a perfect figure…oh look they have Barbie dolls here too. Albino Barbie spared a glance my way before turning away, bored. She was next to a short, pixie like girl with short spiky hair….I take back the part about there being no munchkins in Forks.

There were three boys with the Barbie and the munchkin. They were some of the most drool worthy male specimens I'd ever seen. A tall lanky looking blonde piece of hot was wrapping his arm around said munchkin—what an odd pair of opposites Then there was The Incredible Hulk, good lord, that boy's muscles had muscles—roids much? Oh yes, the curly haired roid ranger would be with Barbie. They were at that very moment attempting to suck each others faces off. Nice.

It looked like the third boy was the odd man out. He seemed to be the youngest and the one with the least muscle. He had tousled bronze hair, was tall, and had the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen. Don't go there Bella, you don't stand a chance with the Abercrombie model.

Even with their differences, they were all the same in a weird way. They all had the same skin tone: a ghostly pale, except for the dark circles under their eyes. Either they were the local chapter of insomniacs anonymous, or took the heroin chic look too damn far. Drugs in a big town like Phoenix were pretty common. I guess Mayberry had its problems too. Hmm….they didn't act strung out though.

The other common denominator for the group that I was shamelessly ogling was that they were all inhumanely beautiful. _Was it even possible to look that good?_ And lastly, everything they did was beautiful and graceful: their laughing, their smiles, and the way they walked. They were too perfect….maybe the pod people/alien invasion theory I'd been working on the night before had some merit.

Before I knew it, they all had started to walk into their school; only one of them remained. The bronze haired boy looked at me with a confused look on his face. I blushed ….damn I'd been caught. He had noticed me staring at him. His gaze was intense like he was trying to make out something. Mental note….buy copious amounts of aluminum foil to make crazy hat from so the aliens couldn't monitor my brain waves.

I hurried to the front office and waited patiently to be assisted by a middle-aged woman with white hair and glasses. She wore a violet business type suit with a white blouse underneath. Hear ears and neck were adorned with what seemed to be cheap pearls, and her hair was pulled back into a neat bun. _Ewww, definitely a big no-no!_ I may not be an expert but that nasty color on anyone was so very wrong.

"Hello dear. How may I help you?" The woman asked, her tone sickeningly sweet like she was talking to a five year old. I resisted the urge to loudly brag that I already knew how to tie my shoes all by my self.

"My name is Isabella Swan; I need to get my schedule," I replied instead. God, I hated my full name Isabella, but people didn't know me enough here to call me Bella.

"Ahh, yes. You're the chief's daughter," She said while handing me some papers. "This is your schedule. Feel free to come by here again if you have any questions. Have a good first day honey." First dear and now honey….would it be sweetheart next? Seriously if she kept that up I was going to ask when nap time was and if the school provided juice in sippy cups.

"Thank You," I hastily replied and was out the door looking at my schedule.

_Period 1- US History_

_Period 2- AP Calculus AB_

_Period 3- American Literature (Honors)_

_LUNCH_

_Period 4- College Biology_

_Period 5- French 4_

_Period 6- P.E._

I have always been a smart girl, which is why I was taking some AP/College level classes. But there was always one class I hated, P.E., ugh! I had the worst hand/eye coordination in the world. It was probably a good thing I had that last, that way the ambulance could take me straight to the hospital without me missing my other classes. Stupid physical fitness.

As I walked into the classroom for US History, everyone stopped and stared at me. Great! Of course I was the center of attention, I was the new girl in a ridiculously small town, and the head chief's daughter at that. I might as well have had a blinking neon sign over my head.

A boy with short blonde hair and an adorable little baby face came up to me…. and so it begins.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" He asked in an excited tone, like a hyper cocker spaniel about to piss on the carpet. Down boy!

"Bella. But, yes you're right," I replied. I hated when people called me Isabella. The only other person to call me that was my mom, and it was when she was angry, it wasn't a pleasant association

"Nice to meet you Bella," He said with a slightly mischievous grin as the teacher, Mrs. Ainsworth, walked in. "I'm Mike. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks," I was happy that the first person I met was being nice, but then again, I wasn't feeling very comfortable around him. He had smiled in an unusual way and when he said 'If you need anything, just let me know' I wasn't too sure about what he meant. If he asked me to go down to the boiler room to join his secret club I would need to make an escape plan. That's how bad things happened in B-movies.

I mentally slapped myself for being so rude. He was just being friendly right? That was enough for me. I guess I could have him help me around the school.

I lost myself during the whole class thinking about the bronze haired boy from the parking lot. Yes, Bella Swan was obsessing, pathetic. It didn't really even matter, guys like him did not mix with girls like me. Focus on the class Bella!

We were learning about the Constitution; something I had already done. That wasn't going to help my mental wanderings. History passed by in a breeze and before I knew it, Mike was standing by my desk like a faithful retriever. I hoped he wouldn't have to be put down like Old Yeller—he didn't seem to be foaming at the mouth.

"Do you mind if I help you get to your next class?" he asked nonchalantly. Too late to fake acting cool dude.

"Umm, yeah sure. I have AP Calculus," I told him staring at my schedule. Remember Bella you are_ trying_ to make friends.

"Ok, I'll show you how to get there. I know the school seems kind of confusing at first," he said. I resisted telling him that such a tiny place really wasn't a challenge for me to navigate. Let him think he's being helpful Bella. "I promise it gets easier to find your way around. The School's not even that big," captain obvious finished while tugging on my hand to get me to move forward. Great now he was going caveman on me. Big strong man help little female find way! Just chill out Bella, so what if he was dragging you, at least he hadn't bashed you over the head with his club and pulled you around by your hair.

When I got to my class I politely said goodbye to Mike and quickly walked in and took my seat, proud of myself for keeping my snarky thoughts from sneaking out of my mouth

Math was one of my best subjects and I liked it so it passed by really quickly. Fortunately the rest of the morning up until lunch flashed before my eyes. None of my teachers made me do anything embarrassing like getting up in front of the class to introduce myself, and give a little speech about who I am. Thank God.

I was walking out of my English class and to my locker when I bumped into something hard. It felt like I had hit a wall. I looked up and there he was. The same bronze haired boy I had seen this morning. Don't swoon Bella….crap where was my aluminum foil hat when I needed it?

He had a smile on his face and his hands on my shoulders as if to steady me. Man, was he gorgeous. His eyes were a honey color and every feature on his face was perfect. When I saw him this morning he looked almost a bit lanky, but that was next to his big burly brother. I noticed that he himself was very muscular. Yummy! Good lord I was about to fling myself at him like he was Zac Efron and I was one of those screaming girls who read Teen Beat.

There was just one thing strange about him: He was freezing, as if he had been outside in below zero weather. Should I offer to warm him up? Ack! Stop it Bella!

"Are you alright?" He asked me concerned. Damn, his voice was enchanting.

"Umm, I-I..yeah I'm fine," I replied, stuttering. God! Could I be more embarrassed! I could feel the blush coming to my face and quickly looked away.

"You should watch where you are going; wouldn't want you getting hurt," he told me before smiling and turning around to walk to the lunch room.

I was dazzled, dazed, heck I was weak in the knees! I was right about everything part of him being perfect. His voice was like a song; his every move was graceful. Almost to the point that I thought he can't just be a normal person. And, I'd just acted like a stuttering female Rain Man. Way to go Bella!

I hurried to my locker before heading down to the cafeteria and getting my lunch. I have to admit, I was hoping that I would get to see the same boy again later on in the day. Hopefully I would make a better impression next time. Think sexy, suave Bella…think Angelina Jolie. Yeah right, who was I kidding?

**A/N: Did you like that? I have Chapter 3 ready for tomorrow so keep checking this story!**

**REVIEWS? REQUESTS?**


	3. Chapter 3: Hold up! What?

**A/N: I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it and with the help of my beta, Kinolaughs, it's even better!. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW AFTER!!!:)**

**Chapter 3: Hold up! What?**

I made my way to the lunchroom quickly; avoiding any kind of obstacle that would make me fall and embarrass myself, like air.

The thought of the bronze-haired hottie's face and his arms holding me to prevent me from falling was enough of a distraction. Who cares if he's an alien/heroin addict?

I pushed my way past everyone in order to make it to the cafeteria; getting 'excuse you' and 'whoa bitch, cool it' from some of the students. I didn't care. All I wanted was to see his face again.

I know that may seem a bit stalkerish or obsessed, but there was something about him that I had never noticed in anyone else.

Er….maybe I needed counseling before I started creating some kind of creepy photo collage wall tribute to him in the back of my closet.

I made it through the doors to the cafeteria and the lunch line only to find Mike waiting for me, grinning like it was Christmas morning. Not who I was looking for.

"Bella! I saved you a spot in line," he told me smiling. "I was hoping that maybe I'd catch you in the cafeteria. Would you like to sit with my friends and me at lunch?"

He asked me so nicely; I couldn't deny him.

Just don't try to lick me Lassie.

"Yeah sure, that'd be great," I replied with fake enthusiasm.

I didn't exactly want to sit with him at lunch, but it would be nice to have _some_ company. It wasn't like I was expecting the hot alien boy to ask; and I didn't exactly want to be the new student and loser who sat alone.

I grabbed a tray and put some fries and a water bottle on it. Ah nutrition! So far my day consisted of sugar and grease. Perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on Charlie for his Hungry Man meals.

After paying for my high quality lunch we walked over to a table in the middle of the cafeteria and he introduced me to his friends. There were three other girls at the table named Lauren, Jessica, and Angela; and two boys, Eric and Tyler.

Oh crap….even pairings. Please tell me I wasn't the fifth, or er…seventh wheel.

"Hey Bella; I see you met Mike," Eric said with a slight edge to his voice. What was his problem?

"Yeah, Mike helped me around the school a bit. He was really nice," I answered, cautiously. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I said that.

_Way to make me feel self-conscious._

Jessica was glaring at me. Did I miss something about ownership on Rin Tin Tin's collar? Somehow, I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like her very much.

"So, Bella, why'd you move to Forks?" Jessica asked me with a bit of an attitude—PMS much?

"Umm, well my step dad plays baseball and he travels so…" I trailed off as I noticed the boy from earlier walking out of the cafeteria.

Must watch hottie…..

"Bella??" Jessica and Mike asked at the same time.

Crap! Nailed again!

I really needed to get away before I could embarrass myself further.

"Hey I'll catch up with you guys later. Bye," I said quickly as I stood up and grabbed my tray.

Everyone looked at me with confusion. They were probably wondering where I was going, but there was no way I was telling them. I didn't want them to think of me as some freaky stalker.

Oh God….I _was_ a stalker, I'd probably start bugging his backpack next.

I threw away my trash and dumped my tray off before heading out of the cafeteria. My next plan of action was to make my way back to my locker so that I wouldn't look like I was trying to follow someone.

Uh huh….so smooth!

I opened up my locker and got my books for the rest of the day when I noticed the prince of hotness at another locker not too far away.

Don't stare!

I turned back to my locker and closed it. Take a deep breath Bella. When I turned around again I noticed him leaning against the locker next to mine. Ahhhh!

"Oh my god, you scared me!" I laughed nervously. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," he said gently as he looked at me with concern in his eyes.

Ungh…his eyes.

"I'm Edward Cullen. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier; you must be Bella."

_How'd he know I liked Bella more than Isabella?_

Ooh! Could there be reciprocal stalking going on? Please say yes!

"Yes, I am. How'd you know to call me Bella instead of Isabella?" I was shocked with the fact that he already knew my name, how could it be possible that someone like him would even notice me enough to care?

"Well, we have been expecting the chief's daughter," he answered me, grinning. "I knew her name would be Isabella Swan, but everyone seems to be calling her Bella so why can't I?"

Shit, shit, shit! Please tell me that I wasn't being talked about all over the school.

I just stood there staring at him. I didn't know what to say. Nothing even remotely appropriate came to mind. Somehow, 'take me to your leader, I'll willingly be assimilated for you,' didn't seem like a good idea.

He probably thought I was such a loser now, first the stuttering then the silence. Yes my hunky Adonis, Bella Swan is an idiot. Crap, what was the question again?

I finally found my voice and replied, "Uh, yeah, I guess you can."

What I really thought was, 'forget calling me Bella, you can call me yours!'

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you Bella Swan," he replied, looking intently into my eyes. "The bell will be ringing in a few minutes. What's your next class?"

Class what class?

"Uhh, hold on a second," I muttered while pulling out my schedule. "Um, I have Biology next." Yeah Bella, give him an uhh and an um, that's going to up your IQ in his eyes.

"I have Biology also. I'll see you there then," he said as the bell rang before giving me a quick smile and heading back to his locker. I watched as he got his books and walked down the hall.

Please don't let me be drooling on myself. He already had a huge effect on me and I was determined to find out more about him.

Operation 'Psycho Stalker' was a go.

I stood at my locker for about 5 minutes, trying to regain some composure before walking towards the Biology room. As soon as I walked in, everyone's eyes were on me. Again! Good grief were they all on the same wave length, it was Children of the Corn creepy!

I shuffled up to the teacher, whose name was , so he could sign my slip. He gave me my book and showed me to my seat which was, ironically, next to Edward.

Hello handsome!

I sat down and snuck a peek at the object of my new obsession, but to my surprise, he wasn't even paying attention to me.

_How can someone be so nice and then not pay attention to the person?_ I thought to myself.

Oh crap! Maybe he had figured me out and knew about my immediate fixation. Uhoh!

I decided to not say anything and just leave it at that. I could feel tears of embarrassment stinging my eyes. There was no way he could know, I told myself.

Shit, maybe I really should have made an aluminum foil hat…what if he was some sort of mind reading alien?

I couldn't let this get to me just yet; there had to be a good reason.

_Maybe I'm just overreacting. It would go hand in hand with my overactive imagination._

I kept thinking about earlier, and how he had previously been so nice for the rest of the class. The more I thought about it, the more upset and mortified I got. At the end of class, when the bell ran, I could feel the tears coming back and this time I couldn't hold in the single drop that betrayed me.

I grabbed my books quickly and ran out of the room, racing to the bathroom. As soon as I got there I locked myself in one of the stalls and let more tears fall.

I'm not even sure why I was crying, but this had hit me hard.

I sat in the stall for a few more minutes until the tears stopped falling and I could pull myself together. There was no way he could know. He was just being an ass.

Now I was mad.

I opened the stall door and walked towards one of the sinks, turned it on, and splashed water on my face. I couldn't even bear looking at myself in the mirror; it would just be a reminder that I was some plain Jane that got caught lusting after the hottest boy in school. I dried my face with the scratchy paper towels from the dispenser and continued on to French.

By the time I got there I was about 10 minutes late and everyone, including the teacher stared at me.

Great, more gawking.

At least this time it was justified by my tardiness.

"It's nice of you to join us. Miss Swan is it?" the teacher asked. She had a heavy French accent and was very intimidating

"Yes. I'm sorry for being late; it won't happen again," I responded timidly.

"Well, I hope it doesn't happen again Miss Swan. I am Madame Beauvais. I have your books ready," she said, holding up two books for me.

I walked over and took the books from her thanking her quietly. The whole time she was glaring at me.

I was already on her bad side, perfect.

I sat in my desk and listened to her French lesson. My discomfort made the class pass by slowly and I was ecstatic when the bell finally rang. I got up and left the classroom only to realize that my next class was P.E. Oh no! I dreaded it, but I just needed to survive this and then I could go home.

I got to the gym and changed into my P.E. uniform. All the girls were staring at me as if they were comparing my body to theirs.

Seriously, what was with the kids in Forks and the staring? It was RUDE! I wanted to wave my hands in their faces and yell that it wasn't anything they hadn't seen before.

I threw my clothes back into my bag and trudged out to the gym.

Mike was in my gym class too. Good grief, did he have the exact same schedule?

_He may be a bit over attentive, but at least he seemed nice_, I reminded myself. After the last couple hours I'd had after seeing Edward, being around Mike actually made me feel a little relieved.

"Bella! I didn't know you were in my P.E. class!" Mike yelled over to me.

"Yeah, I guess I am. But P.E. definitely isn't my thing," I laughed, _time to lighten my mood_. "I'm athletically challenged. They should probably have put a warning label on my t-shirt."

Mike let out a loud laugh before replying. "Well, lucky for you we're not doing anything sports related today. Mr. Bayly is just explaining the rules for Badminton."

"Thank God." I smiled and let out a huge sigh before we were called over by Mr. Bayly.

He explained the rules for Badminton for the next hour. It was beyond boring, but at least I wasn't stuck with a racket turned lethal weapon in my clumsy hands. I'd nearly fallen asleep when the bell rang letting me know that the first day from hell was at an end.

Thankfully it was time to go home and relax.

I wasn't going to think about Edward tonight, I told myself. Mmhmm…a little voice in my head said…..riiiiiiiiiight.

Maybe I should talk to him tomorrow; if he really turned out to be a jerk it might cure my crush. I just had to figure out a way to regain the power of speech in his presence.

I went to my locker and got the books I needed for homework before heading out to my car.

In the parking lot I caught Edward and the small girl with dark hair staring at me. Edward had a pained look on his face, and suddenly turned around. The pixie like munchkin turned around with him and started whispering something; it looked like he snarled at her in response.

Ah ha! Point one of Edward Cullen is a jerk…he has anger management issues.

I got into my car and turned on the engine, backing out of the school. I was getting out of here before anything else could go wrong. Everything that happened at school today involving Edward was in the past for now. I wasn't going to let it get to me.

Yep, Bella Swan is immune to the hot angry alien Adonis.

**A/N: Alright! So there's Chapter 3! I hope you liked it because I enjoyed writing it! Just so you know, there is a reason why Edward treated Bella like that. You probably won't find out until a later chapter though. Just bear with me! **

**So, you can expect Chapter 4 up tomorrow! GET EXCITED!**

**THANKS AGAIN AND REVIEW! THE MORE REVIEWS THE FASTER I'LL POST THE NEXT CHAPTER!!**

**Love, Carla **


	4. Chapter 4: In My Time of Need

**Chapter 4: In My Time of Need**

I got back to Charlie's house as fast as humanly possible, eager to shut myself away and recuperate from the craptasticness that was my first day of school.

Ergh, why did Edward Cullen have to be there? Why did he have to be so freakin' cute? Why had he turned into such an ass after only talking to me once?

Why was I still thinking about him? Stop it Bella!

I sat down at the kitchen counter and thought about what I should make. _Yes, focus on dinner._

_Hamburgers? Nachos? Chili?_ Tonight I would just stick with hamburgers. I just wasn't sure if I could put much effort into dinner with my thoughts running a mile a minute. I went over to the freezer and pulled out some patties to thaw.

Okay meat, defrost!

I stood there for about 10 minutes before I figured it was stupid to waste my time staring at frozen meat. _Dur, it would be a while_.

I let out a frustrated huff and stomped up to my room figuring I might as well check my email. I had one from my mom Renee.

Bella, honey.

I haven't heard from you yet so I was wondering if I should be worrying. I'm sorry if I'm overreacting; you know how I can be sometimes. So, how is it with Charlie? Has he been okay? What about your new school? Did you make any new friends? I hope everything is going great for you and just know that you can give me a call if you need anything.

Love you,

Mom

Of course my mom would be worrying; she does way too much. And aside from that, she practically drowned me in like 100 questions in one email. I re-read her message and then replied:

Mom,

Sorry for not sending you an email or giving you a call. I was just overwhelmed with the fact that I was going to start a new school. I understand why you're worrying and I promise you won't have to again.

Charlie's doing great, he's still awkward with things, but I can definitely see that he's excited to have me living with him here. Not much has changed here..

_No need to tell her about Charlie still acting depressed because she left him oh…15 years ago._

My new school is tiny, but I like it. I've met a couple nice people who have been letting me sit with them at lunch. So everything is okay!

_Yeah and there is a hot alien drug addict I can't stop thinking about….best not add that little tidbit._

Love you lots.

xoxo,

Bella

Hopefully that would be enough to appease her. After I sent the message I went back down stairs to the kitchen and looked at the patties; they were still pretty frozen. Frustrated and anxious, I put two patties on a plate and stuck them in the microwave hoping that the ice would melt.

Okay, now I was watching them rotate in the microwave. One rotation, two rotation, three rotation, four. Five rotation, six rotation, seven rotation, more! Yep, I'd lost it,

Stupid Edward Cullen.

I had just put the patties in the pan to cook when I heard a knock at the door. Some people had perfect timing. I made a quick prayer to the kitchen gods, _please don't burn down the house_, and ran to wrench open the door and find out who was waiting.

Edward Cullen, maybe?

No, Bella! Stop thinking about the alien hotness asshole!

It wasn't Assward.

I tried not to look disappointed as I greeted my dad's longtime friend Billy Black.

"Bella," he greeted me with a warm smile. "It's nice to see you back in Forks. How are you and your dad holding up?"

I returned his smile with a genuine one of my own, glad that someone was being friendly today.

"We're doing great. It's good to see you too. Where's Jacob?" I asked, searching the area for a sign of his son and my old friend; I could use as many of those as possible right now.

"He's actually in the car over there; he wanted to come say hi to you, but I told him to stay," Billy replied, looking over his shoulder.

Why would he do that? Was Jacob carrying infectious cooties or something? Gee thanks Billy!

"I only came over to drop off some of Harry Clearwater's fish fry, your dad's favorite. I'm sorry about not letting Jacob get out to say 'hi', but you should take a trip to La Push to pay him a visit some time," he continued.

Great he was holding my friend hostage so I'd be forced to pay a courtesy visit; I'd probably have to spend hours listening to crappy old stories on said visit too. My friendly feelings towards Billy began to evaporate.

"Yeah, that sounds great Billy. I'll tell Charlie you stopped by."

I yawned, feeling a bit tired—and trying to get rid of him now that I was pissed. _So much for the first friendly face of the afternoon._

"Nice to see you again Bella, and I'll be sure to tell Jacob 'hi'."

I nodded. You do that you friend hoarder.

I watched as Billy rolled back to his car in his wheelchair and tried to remember that deep down he really was a nice guy, today the niceness was just buried deeper than usual.

Jacob got out of the car to help his father—damn he'd grown at least a foot and a half since the last time I saw him. Had he been freebasing MiracleGro? He waved at me with a sad little smile before getting into the car and driving away.

I made it back to the kitchen before the smoke alarm could go off and put the patties on a plate in the fridge for later. For _some_ reason I wasn't very hungry anymore.

I was feeling grumpy and mad at everyone:

Stupid Edward Cullen being a jerk.

Stupid Billy Black keeping my only friend in a hundred mile radius away.

Stupid children of the corn at school and their rude staring.

There was nothing more that I wanted to do than take a nap so I grabbed my iPod and hit the shuffle button before falling back on my bed. The Resolution by Jack's Mannequin was the last thing I heard before drifting to sleep.

I woke up suddenly, looking at the annoying chicken alarm clock on my night table. It was already 7:50. Shit, I'm sure Charlie was home.

I went downstairs to find Charlie manning his post on the couch and watching the news on his flat screen. He turned around to look at me and smiled.

"Sorry Dad, I fell asleep and just woke up," I apologized. "I'll finish preparing din-"

He cut me off, laughing, "Bells, I already had dinner don't worry about it. I found the patties you made and just put them together. I'm not that much of a hopeless case; I mean, I made breakfast, lunch and dinner for myself when you weren't here."

Charlie self reliant and laughing? Hmm…._was that really a cowlick on the back of his head and not an alien implant device?_

"Alright dad, well I'm going upstairs to finish my homework. Love you, goodnight."

"Goodnight Bells," he replied.

I went back to my room and sat on my bed, staring at the wall in front of me. I wasn't in the mood to do my homework. I didn't think I'd be able to focus anyway. I reached over to my night table and grabbed my copy of _Wuthering Heights_, but found myself unable to concentrate on what I was reading for the next few hours.

Stupid bronze-haired jerk.

What is wrong with me? I didn't even know about Edward before today and now, at nearly midnight, I was still obsessing over him?

I just couldn't get my mind off of the hateful look he gave me. It made me cringe and I came close to tears every time I thought about it. Instead of a creepy shrine I needed to put his face on a dartboard so I could throw things at it.

I decided to take a walk outside to get my mind off of him. I didn't care that it was late and dark. Forks was practically a rainy version of Mayberry, what was going to happen here? I'd catch Opie toilet papering the neighbor's house? I snorted and grabbed a jacket, put on my shoes, and tipped toed down the stairs. I made my way over to the door and opened it slowly to avoid any loud creaks it might make.

As soon as I had made it out the door and down my street, I felt a lot calmer. There was no way Charlie heard me since he hadn't taken his cruiser around the neighborhood to search for me. I turned left on a street and stopped in my tracks. There was a group of people sitting in a park. They were all laughing and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I walked over a little closer which probably wasn't the best idea. One of the girls saw me and got up with a weird look on her face. She was pretty, but there was something a little scary about her too.

Shit, did I just run into the only gang in Podunk?

I felt like I should run for it, but my legs wouldn't move. All I could do was stand there like an idiot, not saying a single word, as she walked towards me.

"Hey sexy," she slurred. "Why don't you sit with us? We have room for another person."

Ok, so she's definitely drunk and probably has no clue what she's doing. I would decline politely, I didn't want to get busted hanging out with the drunk kids. Plus, I didn't swing that way.

She reached out and grabbed my arm without warning so I started struggling.

"Get your hand off of me! Let me GO!" I screeched.

Damn, the drunk lesbian was freakishly strong. Was she tripping on PCP?

"Anna, boys, help me," she ordered the rest of her friends.

They all stood up at once and made there way to where the gay She-ra was holding me. Oh crap, this was not good.

I continued to struggle as I felt two rough hands pull me down to the ground. There was nothing I could do; they all crowded around me and held me immobile as I screamed for help.

The other girl, Anna, took a piece of cloth from her pocket, twisted it, and tied it around my mouth. Now I was really stuck. The same two hands that had pulled me to the ground picked me up roughly and threw me over a broad shoulder attached to a sleazy looking blonde guy. He was walking to the woods with everyone else following him.

I closed my eyes and wished that I hadn't walked out of my house in the first place. I was regretting it all now. The only thing I could hope for right now is that they wouldn't kill me. But to tell the truth, I wasn't sure if that's what they wanted to do to me.

**A/N: OH! CLIFFY! Well, unfortunately..chap 5 won't be up for a couple days caus I'm currently working on it. But, you'll love it! I promise! Thank again, to kinolaughs for being my beta! Now REVIEW!**

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	5. Chapter 5: Ready, Set, Crazy

**A/N: So here's chapter 5! FINALLY! Woohoo! Let's do a victory dance! Sorry it was so late, but as you'll see it is the longest chapter in this story. I hope you all like it! Once again, gotta let a shout out to my wonderful beta, kinolaughs! Now get readin' and reviewin'!**

**Chapter 5: Ready, Set, Crazy**

As the man carried me deeper into the woods, fear crawled up my spine. I had been attacked, gagged and dragged away. Nausea twisted in my stomach as I realized that I might not have long to live.

The man set me down on the cold forest ground and turned around. He whispered something to the red-haired girl who had seen me first; causing her to whirl around and give me a bone-chilling, unfriendly smile. She reached down and carefully pulled the gag out of my mouth.

"My name is Victoria. This is James, Laurent, and Anna. What's your name hun? " The lesbionic Red Sonja asked with a huge grin on her face; the others followed her example drawing nearer as they were introduced

"B-b-bella…" I stuttered nervously. Could I be anymore stupid? I mean, why was I giving them my actual name?

They were staring at me and smiling, all four exposing perfect white teeth that somehow set me even more on edge. I was caught up in their appearances when James spoke.

"So Bella, what are you doing out here after midnight all by yourself?" he purred creepily.

"I was, umm, taking a walk," I looked down at my hands and fidgeted a bit.

I felt a cold finger caress my face then a hand on the side of my neck. I turned my head a bit to notice Laurent right next to me, staring at my neck as he trailed his fingers along my skin. What _the hell were they planning on doing to me?_

"So fragile and warm," he whispered in my ear before calling out to James.

James strutted over to me, a look of pure evil on his face, and pinned me to the ground, hovering over me.

Oh god, was I about to be gang raped?

I was outnumbered, but that wouldn't prevent me from trying to stop them.

I thrashed to try to get him off, but couldn't move my arms. Suddenly, I felt my legs being pinned down as well. I looked over James's shoulder and noticed Victoria and Anna holding down my legs. I couldn't move at all, my heart raced uncontrollably as I realized I was completely at their mercy. Would they kill me once they'd had their sick fun?

James smirked before leaning down closer to my face, his way of letting me know that I was completely helpless to defy him.

I trembled as I closed my eyes, wishing that somehow it would all go away and I'd wake up from this nightmare. I felt his icy lips touch mine softly and I turned my head to break the kiss, still holding on to a shred of defiance. He growled and grabbed my chin roughly with his hand, tilting my face up, then his lips crashed down on me and he kissed me fiercely, bruising me with the force. I grabbed his hair and pulled, but it didn't seem to hurt him.

When he finally pulled away so I could breathe I yelled out. "Let me go! Why are you doing this?!"

"Just hold still and this will be done before you know it," James sneered. He gave me a wicked grin, before tilting my head to the side while Laurent took over the task of restraining my arms.

This wasn't supposed to happen in small little towns like Forks, what was wrong with this place, these people? In one day all my hopes had been shattered, one by one, and now I was about to meet my end.

James leaned down into my neck and I felt razor sharp teeth grazing over my skin. I was panicking now, tears pouring down my cheeks in torrents. What the hell was he doing? Was he going to bite me along with violating me?

Before I could think about anything else, James was thrown off of me and I came back to my senses. Laurent had released my arms, and I thought I heard him hiss. Was there a fight brewing over who would get dibs? That thought shocked me enough that I decided it might be my one chance to get away. I started to lift my torso off of the cold ground, but was stopped.

Victoria moved from her spot holding my legs and straddled me, her surprisingly heavy weight threatening to break my ribs. I fleetingly hoped that at least I might stand a chance against her, despite her freakish strength, so I resumed my struggle and screamed at her to get off. My one hope was quickly dashed as she grabbed my arm and twisted it violently; a sickening crack told me the bone was broken. I let out a pained yelp as a tear slid down my cheek.

She stroked my face with the back of her hand and hushed me, telling me it would all be alright; her gesture of soothing made in mocking tones—that's when she was thrown off of me too.

I couldn't see who was protecting me; it seemed as if they were moving all to fast for me to notice. Indefinable blurs of color whirled around my already spinning head.

Through the pain and confusion I noticed that I could move both my legs; Anna was no longer holding me down.

I used my good hand to push myself up; but I was too weak, and in my dizzy state I fell down on my bad hand and yelled out. _It hurt so much._

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to fight back the waves of nausea before opening them up and trying to get back on my feet. Nobody was anywhere to be seen. It seemed I was all alone in the park. What the hell just happened? I looked around for evidence; there was no way I could have dreamt up being attacked. My injured arm was proof enough of that.

As I slowly rose, I felt two arms wrap around my waist to help me up. I was so startled that I stopped breathing before I heard that beautiful voice.

"Bella, breathe."

It was Edward. _He_ was my savior? I just didn't understand it! How did he know where I was? How did I not notice it was him? Why would he have even helped me in the first place? He hated me.

"You..you..saved me," I spluttered, confused. That was pathetic! Was that all I could get out?

"Yes, I did. Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"How? I-I didn't even see you do it." I said, my voice trembling. I knew I completely avoided his question, but I had other things to wonder, and for some reason they seemed more pressing.

"What do you mean you didn't see me help you? I was practically right next to you the whole time…except for when I chased them off," he insisted, his tone filled with false incredulity.

Was Edward trying to make me feel crazy? I didn't see him come to save me and I didn't see him fighting them off. He sure as hell wasn't standing next to me when the fire haired, PCP freak grabbed me.

As grateful as I was for my rescue, I wasn't going to back down.

"You weren't next to me and I know I didn't see you! All I saw at the end were blurs, _if_ it was you, then you were moving too fast for me to see what was happening..I-"

He cut me off before I could say anything else. "Bella, you were just too shocked to have noticed anything. Please just let it go," he shot back.

"No! I want to know what's going on! At first I thought he was going to rape me, but then I could've sworn that the guy that was on top of me was about to bite me. His teeth were weird, _sharp_….almost as if he was some sort of a creature. Like a _vampire_. I kno-"

I stopped talking because I noticed Edward had cringed at what I had just said. What bothered him so much? I was only telling him what I thought, no what I _knew,_ happened.

He probably thought I was insane now. What the hell was I saying? Vampire?! For the love of God, I think I read too many of these legends…perhaps I should slow down on the B-movies too. Vincent Price had turned me into a nutter.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, hoping to God that he wasn't about to call the men in white jackets to come haul me away. Edward didn't answer me. He just stood there with a shocked look on his face, absolutely still.

"Edward?"

Edward finally snapped out of it and looked me in the eye, "I think I should take you to the hospital to get that arm fixed."

I was going to let this go, and have Edward drive me down to the hospital, _for now_. I still wanted answers.

"Fine! But just know that you're in for a lot of questioning."

He gave me a crooked smile and chuckled. He put his arm around my shoulder, led me to his car, and opened my door while I got in.

The drive to the hospital was a pretty quiet one, not even the radio was on. I just stared out the window and felt Edward's eyes on me at some moments. Yes, please stare at the crazy girl who apparently believes in vampires and aliens. At least he didn't know about my extraterrestrial theories. I'd have to keep that one to myself.

When we reached the hospital he walked around to the passenger side and opened my door, helping me out. He was being a bit overprotective.

"Are you alright?" he asked while looking at me a little funny.

"Yes, Edward, I'm fine. I don't need you to help me get out of the car. I am perfectly capable of doing that myself," I replied firmly. I was slightly annoyed and at the same time secretly enjoying it. Yeah, Bella Swan has issues.

I have this huge thing for chivalry, and Edward was exactly like that……_sigh_. Shit, operation 'Psycho Stalker' might be put back into play if he was going to start being nice.

Get a grip Bella, you just got attacked at he still hasn't explained his Flash Gordon moves in the forest! Don't get sucked in by the chivalry so quickly. Hmm, maybe I was being influenced by his super hot alien mind control.

On my grocery list for tomorrow…..aluminum foil!

We walked into the emergency room and I walked around for a while as Edward was at the front desk telling the lusty-eyed woman there that I had a broken arm.

See, I wasn't the only one affected by his E.T. hotness!

I needed to think about something else.

Oh look! Tacked up flyers…..check your blood pressure day, Lamaze, nutritional health month was coming up and _herpes support group_? Ewwwwww…...

As I was standing by a bulletin board I felt Edward's cool breath behind me, tickling my neck. Uhhhhh……

"We can go back now. My father will be the one tending to your arm," he murmured.

I nodded dumbly and followed him back into a small room. He stood against the wall as we waited for his father to come in. This was the longest amount of time I'd spent with him; I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the moment a little too much all things considered.

When I opened my eyes I noticed Edward staring at me.

Is ogling the official Forks pastime and no one let me know? I tried to be annoyed, but this was _Edward Cullen……_

No Bella, he was a jerk, he still hasn't explained himself, and he probably is still trying to figure out what brand of crazy you are after the stupid vampire remark.

I opened my mouth to say something, but instead heard someone else talking.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" asked a musical tenor.

This must be Edward's father. I took a peek and saw that he was inhumanely beautiful, just like Edward and his siblings. He skin was a pale white and he had blonde hair. I also noticed his eyes to be the same color as Edward's. Obviously they all came from Planet Hottie. _Not fair_.

"Well, Bella here had a little accident," Edward said as he eyed his father suspiciously. "I was lucky to have found her and brought her back here."

Both of them looked at me and Edward's father smiled at me warmly. "Ahh, so you're Bella. I'm Carlisle, Edward's father. Let me take a look at that arm."

I gave him my arm so he could examine it and he asked me if it hurt when he turned it over in different positions. Obviously it did, causing me to swear a couple of times out loud. Erk. Okay now Edward can add pottymouth to my list of faults.

Of course, it required some x-rays so Carlisle took me to a small room where a simian looking tech named George took some of my arm. _Where is the man in the yellow hat?_

Stop it Bella—_be nice_!

Luckily, Carlisle told me after looking at the results; the break wasn't too terrible so he just put me in a cast for about 6 weeks and to take painkillers whenever my arm hurt.

When I walked back into the small room, Edward was still there, waiting.

"Is everything okay?" he asked his father.

"Yes Edward, everything is fine," Carlisle replied as he turned to look at me. "Bella, just be careful with what you do the next few weeks. I don't want you to hurt your arm even more. It was nice meeting you. Oh, and Edward, Let Esme know that I won't make it home tonight, but I'll be back around noon."

"I will Carlisle. Thank You," Edward told his father before motioning for me to follow him. When we got in his car and drove off, Edward finally spoke.

"Bella, if I tell you something will you promise to not be scared?"

I couldn't be any more frightened than I was a minute ago, so I nodded giving him the chance to keep talking.

"I know I've only known you for a little over a day, but I feel like I can trust you already," he whispered, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about? You treated me like shit, Edward! Don't say you can trust me," I ground out angrily. I really did want him to trust me, but I was just so upset with what had happened at school, and my hurt feelings combined with my physical pain had made me testy

"I know, I was such an asshole, but you have to listen to me! You were right about earlier, you couldn't see what I was doing. I run really fast, you would've never noticed."

"So that's your answer then? You run fast? Well I guess you'll be trying out for track this Spring!" Did he really expect me to buy that excuse?

Gee Edward, let's go get you a red suit with lightning bolts on the sides. What was next, telling me he could leap over tall buildings in a single bound?

"Please, just let me finish. I run fast because I'm not human Bella. I was strong enough to pull them off of you because I _am not human_. I knew where you were because none of my family is human, and we have _abilities_…" he paused, not sure what to say next. "Bella, my family and I….we are vampires."

I just sat there staring him straight in the face. I didn't know what to say, I really didn't. Was he serious? He couldn't be he was just making fun of me for saying I thought James was a vampire earlier. That had to be it…_didn't it_?

But then again, James _was _about to bite me, I was certain of _that._ He and the others were weird too. Cold, hard, strong, beautiful…..some of the same attributes that Edward had. I shuddered as I remembered the feel of his teeth. It sure wasn't like when my friend Jamie bit me on the playground as a kid.

"Are you joking?" I laughed, trying to push away my frightening suspicion that he might just be telling the truth. I'd been guessing alien; maybe I shouldn't be so shocked.

His face and tone took on a serious demeanor which made me believe him. "No, Bella, I'm not. I won't be upset if you're scared of me, or never want to talk to me again."

"Should I be afraid?" I asked, wondering suddenly if he'd pulled the others off of me, intending to drain me himself.

"Probably, I _am_ a monster. Unlike the group you just encountered I don't hunt humans, but I'm still dangerous. You'd do best to stay away from me," he said sadly.

"What?! But, you saved me. No! Never! I don't care what you are," I insisted, suddenly wanting to comfort him. It was true. I hadn't cared when I thought he was fresh from the mother ship, if he didn't go around sucking the neighborhood dry couldn't I accept this other alternative?

"I do have a question though …why did you treat me like that earlier?" I continued, asking the question that had caused me so many problems today.

"When I first saw you, you were different. I found myself drawn to you, but I couldn't take a chance with someone so precious. If you fall for me you could get hurt. I'm not the right person for you to be with."

He thought I was precious? Well as long as he didn't go all Gollum on me, I wouldn't mind spending more time with him, _a lot more_. That was probably a pretty unhealthy thing for me to want but I just couldn't help it. Maybe it was like in Dracula where he was calling me against my will..... '_come to me my Bella of the_ _night_'!

No, he wasn't like that. He didn't even wear a dorky medallion. He was just a teenager like me, a hot undead teenager, but yeah…..

I was a goner.

"But, you haven't hurt me. I trust you and I think you can handle being around me."

"Yes I can, but it's very difficult. Your blood calls to me…...I'm sorry."

"My blood calls to you?" That sounded a little odd; did my blood prefer Cingular or Verizon? Had it been using a prepaid phone that I didn't know about? Seriously,what could he mean by that? I certainly wasn't getting a word he was saying.

"When I say that, I mean that your blood is the sweetest I have ever smelled. There has never been any other human like this. It is extremely difficult for me, I've never wanted a human so much in my life before," He looked apologetic as if he was afraid he scared me or did something wrong.

Ergh. That couldn't be good. Did he want me or _want _me? Either way he still hadn't hurt me, even though the opportunity had presented itself. Everything he did seemed to say person instead of monster. At that moment, I made my decision.

"No, it's fine Edward, I'm not scared of you." As soon as I finished saying that, he pulled into a park and got out of the car. When he reached the passenger side, he pulled me out and took me over to sit down in the grass with him.

"Bella, I don't want to frighten you. You have no idea how difficult it is for me to be around you, but I can't seem to let go. I'm a selfish creature."

"Then don't leave me alone. To tell the truth, I'm selfish too. And even if you did leave me alone, I probably would try to get you back," I blushed at my own words and looked down. Yep, I just practically confessed to my operation 'Psycho Stalker' plan.

He put a finger under my chin and lifted my face to meet his. He looked me in the eye with a worried expression on his face.

I had to lighten the mood. I smiled at him and watched him return a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. We sat down in the park a while longer in complete silence, both of us obviously uncomfortable. After about10 minutes of the awkward quiet I had to say something, _anything_. Unfortunately my mind was stuck on the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

"Wait, so if you're a vampire, then how do you go out in the sunlight? Won't you turn into the burning man or something?" I asked.

He laughed at me, but then quieted when he noticed my seriousness.

"Myth. Look, I think we should get going," he replied, his lips pursing together. Edward started getting up, but I wasn't ready just yet.

Great, now I'd ruined everything and our little trip to the park would be over before it even got started. Think Bella, _think_!

"Wait! We'll go after you answer one more question. You said you and your family have abilities. What are they?" Obviously, I had a one track mind tonight and despite my best efforts my conversation topics were going to be stuck on the vampire train until it derailed. _Not helpful_.

"Well, my sister Alice can see the future which explains how I knew where you were. My brother, Jasper, is able to sense moods and change them. Me? Well, I can read minds."

Oh shit!

I looked up when he said the last part, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. "So you can read my mind now?"

Why, oh why didn't I make that hat? Reynolds was going to be my new best friend. He probably knew all about my desire to stalk him, and the alien thing….oh crap!

"No, I can read everyone's mind except for yours. It's rather frustrating. Now, if that's all we really should get going."

Oh, I hope he's telling the truth, I thought as I let out the breath I was holding.

He got up and motioned for me to follow him. After a few quiet steps, I turned away, ready to say goodbye as I headed in the direction of my house. Edward had other ideas I realized as he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, startled.

"We're going to my car. Alice wants you to sleep over at our house tonight. She said she wants to get to know you."

"WHAT?! I can't! You have no idea how much trouble I'll get in if Charlie finds me missing! I already have to figure out a way to explain how my arm got broken in the middle of the night." I was shocked and hyperventilating. I couldn't believe that Edward was seriously taking me to sleep at HIS house! Oh god, was expecting me to snuggle down into a spare coffin?

Quit thinking in clique's Bella.

I had a bigger problem; under normal circumstances Charlie would freak if he found out I left to sleep at someone's house in the middle of the night without telling him I was going. Taking off to a house with a boy I barely knew, and coming home with a cast to show for it would be even worse. Edward couldn't be serious.

Apparently he was, I realized as he walked me back to his car with an amused expression on his face.

He opened the passenger side door and spoke softly to me as I got in. "Breathe, Bella. Alice has it all taken care of. She left a message on Charlie's phone to let him know where you are. Charlie has known my family for awhile now and he has a pretty soft spot for Alice; he adores her."

I stopped dead in my tracks; I was a bit surprised by this revelation. Charlie never mentioned knowing the Cullens, of course he never mentioned much of anything to me.

"Our family finds it helpful to make friendly connections with the local law enforcement. Esme and Alice like to bring cookies to the station. People don't ask too many questions when they like you….as I said, it's _helpful_," Edward clarified after seeing my confused expression.

"Well, I can still see him throwing a fit. Did she explain this?" I asked, holding up my arm. "Besides, how am I going to get to school tomorrow?"

He walked around the car, opened his door, and got in. "Easy, I'll drive you there myself."

He started the car and we took off at lightning speed, in fact we seemed to get to his home in a matter of minutes. Did this thing have warp drive?

The house was really more a mansion, nestled deep in the woods. It was sleek and modern with windows making up the majority of the walls. I absolutely loved it. It was so unexpected and almost urban, a complete contrast to the surrounding wilderness.

"Wow," I gasped idiotically.

"What?" He was so gorgeous, and next to this house, it just seemed so surreal—and he asks _what_?

"It's just...your house is beyond amazing."

He shot me a perfect crooked smile and motioned for me to walk with him. When we got to the doorstep I paused after he opened the door.

"Bella? Are you alright?" he asked me, concern drowning his words.

Let's think about that Edward; middle of the night, houseful of the undead, almost got eaten in the forest and I'm sporting a broken limb. Mmm…._I'm great_! He didn't need my sarcasm right now, so I decided to stick with my typical teenage concerns.

"Uh, yeah I am. I'm just worried about what your family will think of me," I was always so self-conscious. Standing next to hot-as-hell, vampire Abercrombie models surprisingly didn't make that go away one bit.

"Don't worry about it Bella. I think they'll like you."

"You _think_ they'll like me. It's past midnight! I doubt they'll like me waking them up like this." Yep, I thought, nothing like being an interloper in the middle of the night to make a horrible first impression.

He looked at me and smiled then turned the knob on the door and stepped inside. "We're vampires, they won't mind. We don't sleep."

No sleep? I guess I should wrap my mind around the fact that normal societal rules might not apply here. But at least I could most likely ditch that whole pesky coffin question that had been percolating around in the back of my mind.

I stepped inside the house and noticed how nice it was. As magnificent as the exterior had been, the interior definitely beat it. I could get lost in this place because of the sheer size. Was it like a mall, did they at least have a lit up directory? I could almost see it; dining room 113, the yellow square next to breakfast nook, 114.

When Edward and I walked to the kitchen, his whole family stood up and gave me a huge smile. I briefly recognized his brothers and sisters from school, but there was another vampire that must be his mother.

The female was about my height with wavy brown hair and a very kind and welcoming face. The whole family was beautiful and I noticed they all had the same colored eyes: light butterscotch. Next to her was the blonde haired boy, he almost seemed pained when he looked at me.

The beautiful supermodel-like blonde girl was glaring at me. Barbie didn't seem to want me here. I cringed as I looked at her, she was so intimidating. Everything about her made me feel incredibly self-conscious.

Wow, this didn't seem to be going so well. Perhaps Edward would want to rethink his, 'they'll love you,' comment.

Edward's tiny pixie-like sister came up to me first and gave me a hug, "Hi Bella! It's so great to finally meet you! I'm Alice." Her tone was so nice and friendly that I made a mental note to stop referring to her as the munchkin.

I smiled at Alice before pulling back, and was about to speak when I heard his big muscular brother pipe up. "Whoa so Edward's already bringing a girl home. You sly dog you. Oh, hey Bella, I'm Emmett by the way."

"EMMETT!" the maternal brunette yelled, "I'm sorry about that Bella. Emmett just needs to control what he says sometimes. I'm Esme," she said giving me a gentle smile. She had a lovely and sweet voice; it was so welcoming.

I turned over to Edward and saw him shooting daggers at Emmett who was grinning at me, his eyebrows waggling. I turned a bright shade of crimson, his little remark and suggestive look causing me to cringe.

"Actually, Edward said that Alice wanted me to spend the night. Something about getting to know me…." I shyly muttered.

At this, Alice beamed and pulled me in for another hug, "Oh, Bella! We're going to have SO much fun tonight I promise. And, just for a little insight, I know that you know our secret," she winked. "Now, to introduce you to the rest of the family; you already know me, Emmett, and Esme, That's Jasper, he's the newest 'vegetarian' in the family, but don't worry you'll be safe. And there, is Rosalie, she's being rather rude, but she'll come around," she chirped, pointing to the two blondes that had made me feel a little uncomfortable.

I was about to ponder whether I should be concerned about Jasper when I was distracted by a loud huff.

Rosalie stepped closer to me and practically yelled, "_ME_ being _rude_?! You guys just don't see the outcome of having a human involved with our secret and family! It's either she tells someone and we're done for, or this ends badly and we're figured out anyways."

She was fuming. I couldn't help but cringe at her hateful words. Edward threw me an apologetic look and was about to speak, but I cut him off, "No, Edward, it's fine. Let her say what she wants," I turned to look at Rosalie and spoke. "Rosalie, just know that I would NEVER tell a secret. I'm not that kind of person."

Regretting that I'd even come here, I stormed out of the room and raced to the farthest room possible. I didn't even know where I was going; I just wanted to get away from the scene in the kitchen. I leaned back against the wall and slid down it until I was sitting on the floor.

I'd accepted that they were vampires, believed Edward when he said that they wouldn't hurt me, and led myself to think that I would be okay here, accepted even. Clearly that was not the case.

I put my face in my hands. There were those unwanted and dreadful tears! I couldn't cry! Not now in Edward's house,_ please_.

I heard angry whispering that I guessed was coming from Edward. The hushed argument went on for about 5 minutes before I felt someone kneel in front of me and pull my hands from my face.

I kept my face down until I felt the cool finger pull my chin up. I stared right into Edward's face, embarrassed, by my body's traitorous reactions.

"Bella…" he began, his tone sad and worried.

"I'm fine, Edward, really," I said quickly, wiping my eyes and trying desperately to keep any more tears from falling. Actually, I wasn't really fine. But I wanted to be strong; I'd already shown enough weakness. "I'm a little tired though, perhaps it would be best if I either went home or called it quits for the night. I could stand to get some rest."

Edward nodded and got to his feet, pulling me up with him. He led me up the stairs and into a room. The walls were a golden-yellow color and the furniture matched the walls perfectly. Even though vampires didn't sleep, there was a king sized bed with a black and gold duvet.

"Your room?" I studied the room while Edward went through his drawers.

"Yeah, it is," he threw me a t-shirt and then spoke again. "If you want to use the bathroom, use mine. It's that door." He pointed to the door closest to me and I nodded.

I walked to the door and opened it. I turned around to get one last glimpse at Edward, but his back was to me, studying something. Walking back into the bathroom, I closed the door and locked it.

_Breathe in, Bella. Breathe in._

Here I was in Edward's bathroom, not to mention I was alone with him in his room. Please don't tell me that I had to sleep in his bed. I secretly wanted to, but wasn't sure if Edward would be there with me. If he did, what would that mean? He didn't sleep after all.

How awkward.

I walked over to the shower and turned it on. I stripped off my clothes, careful of my cast, and looked in the mirror. Ordinary, was the only word that came to mind. I thought about everything that had happened today while I was waiting for the water to heat up. The awful first day of school, Edward's odd behavior, my near fatal attack, discovering that the Cullens were vampires, and now being Edward's 'guest' in his room. Talk about overwhelming.

I took a deep breath and steadied myself, not sure of how to handle it all. Even with all of the chaos, I'd found a new friend and gained a hot, albeit undead, protector. Tomorrow I'd think about the tougher issues, but for now I told myself, '_it's going to be okay.'_

**A/N: Did you guys like that? I hope you did! Just so you know, I haven't started chapter 6 yet so it may be a while. Also, take a look at the prologue of my new story **_**If I Told You I Loved You.**_** It is all human but I promise it will be really good. Yes, the main characters are still Edward and Bella:D Chapter 1 should be up very soon! **

**Anyways, back to this story, I hope you guys aren't too shy to tell me if there's something specific you want to see in this story! Go ahead and tell me either through a review or PM! Love you all!**

**REVIEWS? REQUESTS?**


	6. Chapter 6: Edward, or No Edward

**PLEASE READ THE WHOLE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM**

**Chapter 6: Edward, or no Edward**

After unwinding with a long shower in Edward's bathroom, I wrapped a towel around my soaking wet body and opened the door. I was hoping Edward wasn't in his room because I forgot the clothes he picked out for me. Stupid, stupid!

I ran out of the bathroom, picked up the shorts and t-shirt, and ran back to the bathroom as fast as possible. Little did I know that wrapped up in the shorts were a pair of brand new lacey red panties and a matching bra.

This had to be Alice.

What the HELL was she expecting me to do? I had just _met_ her brother for God's sake. I wasn't_ that_ type of girl!

Whatever, might as well just wear them. I mean, they're the only option I have.

I quickly changed and brushed my hair before going downstairs. Halfway down, I could hear some whispering, but it was too low for me to actually make out any words.

The unintelligible murmuring must have been Rosalie, because the girl's voice seemed too angry to be anyone else.

I continued down and as I reached the bottom and rounded the corner towards the kitchen everything got quiet. In a flash, Alice came up to me and put her arm on my shoulder.

"Hey, hey. I hope you're okay Bella," she said, giving me a little squeeze.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired. Do you mind if I just go to bed? We have school tomorrow and I don't want to oversleep. Plus, I need to have a little talk with you," I told her, suppressing a yawn.

"Sure! You'll be sleeping in my room. Don't worry, you'll have the bed all to yourself. Here, follow me."

I told everyone good night and followed Alice back up the stairs and into her room.

While Alice walked around her room, showing me where everything was, I scolded her about the pathetic excuse for underwear. She told me that it was the only new pair that she owned so I let it slide. And it would be the only time I would be so chill about it.

Although I liked her, I was not going to be turned into burlesque Barbie Bella!

I got into Alice's bed and whispered my goodnights to her, watching as she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. I was relieved, finally I'd be able to get some rest and not worry about the night that I've had.

_Tomorrow will be better_—I could only hope.

I shifted in the bed so that I was lying on my side and closed my eyes. The dull playing of a beautiful lullaby on a piano was the last thing I heard before I drifted off into a deep sleep…

_I ran outside of the Cullen's house, following Edward. But, there was also a figure walking behind me; something about it scared me. _

_The faster I walked and the more I reached for Edward, calling his name, the harder it was to reach him. The dark figure behind me was getting even closer….almost close enough to grab me. _

_I stopped in my tracks and called for Edward again. He turned around, but only gave me an intense stare and smile. The dark figure caught up to me and grabbed me, spinning me around. His eyes were bright red, but I wasn't able to see the rest of his face clearly in the dark._

_Before I knew it, I was on the ground with the figure hovering over the top of me. His teeth were at my neck. I shut my eyes ready for death and felt a piercing pain. I screamed while a burning sensation coursed its way through me._

I jolted right up in the bed, panting and sweaty.

The dream had shaken me and my limbs were still trembling with fear. Strong hands were gripping me. I almost panicked until I realized it was Edward in Alice's room holding onto my shoulders and shaking me gently, asking if I was alright in a soothing voice.

"I'm fine. I really am; it was just a nightmare," I stammered.

_Nightmare? Pfff_…. _That was_ _the scariest shit ever!_ Talk about Post-traumatic stess!

"What time is it?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"It's just past 4:30 in the morning. If you're truly fine, then please get some more sleep. You need to get up for school at 7:00," he told me.

I nodded and lay back down. He was still looking at me when I closed my eyes; I could feel it. Sleep came back over me instantly like a heavy cloud dragging me under.

This time my dreams were more peaceful, Edward was there feeding me chocolate brownie chunk ice cream while the football team danced Swan Lake in aluminum foil hats. It was pretty entertaining. Then Edward got up and started stripping. Yes, please! I was really getting into it when it was ruined by a goddamn alarm clock. Edward must have set it…

Even though it felt like the week had gone on forever, it was only Tuesday, and it was actually sunny. Rare for Forks.

I groaned and rolled out of the covers, only to trip over my shoes which I had put next to Alice's bed before getting in. I landed right on my face when I realized I shouldn't try to break my fall with my broken appendage. That was going to leave a mark!

I couldn't wait until Saturday, where I could stay in bed all day and not worrying about tripping over something and falling to my death.

Once I managed to pull myself up off the floor, I looked at the night table and saw a note from Alice.

_Bella,_

_Edward set the alarm. I picked out some clothes for you to wear; they're on my dresser. It's sunny out so we can't go to school, but we'll have Esme drive you there._

_Alice_

I looked over to the dresser and sure enough, the clothes Alice mentioned were there. I was terrified to see what skankerific ensemble she'd picked out. Especially after the incident with the underwear last night. I braced myself before going over to take a look at it. It wasn't that bad. Just some jeans and a nice blue blouse. I walked over to the bathroom and got ready.

I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where I found Esme cooking some breakfast. _They can't eat, can they?_

Just as I was about to speak, Esme cut in.

"Bella! I hope you slept well. I'm making you some breakfast. Just the basic scrambled eggs and toast. I hope you like that." She was so sweet. She didn't have to do this.

"Esme, you shouldn't have done this. I can cook breakfast," I told her with a smile on my face. I didn't want to have her cooking me meals; it made me feel like I was causing such a hassle.

"Don't be ridiculous."

It was awkwardly silent for a few minutes; the clock ticking over on the wall seemed to be really loud. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock……….

This would be way easier if Edward or Alice was here. I kinda felt like they'd ditched me.

"Where is everybody?" I asked her, trying to keep a slightly uninterested tone.

"Carlisle, Emmett, Edward, Alice, and Rosalie all went out to hunt since it's a sunny day. I stayed here so I could drive you to school." She looked over at me and smiled, but then turned back to the food, sliding the eggs off a spatula and onto a plate. "Here you go. I hope you enjoy this because it smells absolutely terrible to me. But then again, I don't eat human food."

I sat down and warily lifted a forkful of eggs. The general rule of thumb was only to trust a pleasantly plump chef. How would someone who never ate know what they were doing?

I tried to look excited instead of nervous as I put the bite in my mouth.

It was delicious! For someone who doesn't eat she knew her way around the kitchen! I happily started chomping down my breakfast and gave her a double thumbs up.

Looking pleased with herself, Esme walked out of the kitchen, reminding me as she went that we would be leaving in about 20 minutes. I was actually looking forward to the car ride with Esme, maybe I could get to know her better. However, the school day without Edward or Alice or…Edward? Ehh—not too interested.

**A/N: Again, thanks to kinolaughs, I can continue writing my story! She's a great beta and helper!**

**Now, why did I get this chapter out so late? Well, partly because my dad took my laptop away and partly because kinolaughs was having some email issues. But no fear! The chapter's here! Before you yell at me for it being short, please know that this is all I've been able to sneak in to write. Not much time when I have to sneak on to a computer!**

**So, go ahead and review because reviews give me inspiration! If you have any requests for this story you can let me know too! Check out my other stories: **_**If I Told You I Loved You**_** and **_**So Many Reasons**_**! If you want to see a specific type of story by me, then that's also good to tell me. I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapters for my stories up, but I'll try my hardest to write them and put them up! Toodles! **

**Love, Carla**


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